Ancient Rome is known for many things, including art, government, and raw empirical power. But there’s one more less attractive reputation they carry even into the modern age. They perfected the science of torturous death by crucifixion.
 
They used this method of death to display their power, shame their enemies, and instill fear in the heart of anyone who would oppose them. There was no more pitiful a subject than someone hanging on a cross. Yet, Colossians 2 sees the cross in a very different light. Paul sees the weight of sin’s debt cancelled, captives set free, and hostile powers stripped of their claim to creation.
 
As Paul often does, he begins by centering the story on Jesus. The fullness of God dwells in Him, and those who belong to Jesus have been brought into His life. Surely, we find ourselves dead in trespasses, but God makes us alive with Christ. One of my favorite parts of the passage is when he says, “the record that stood against us was taken away and nailed to the cross.” No one has ever said, especially Jesus Himself, that our guilt is ignored or insignificant. On the contrary, it was dealt with by the faithful self-sacrifice of Jesus.

Ancient peoples saw ‘gods’ as far from them, somewhere out beyond the cosmos, but Paul points to something much closer. He says believers have been buried and raised with Him. His victory becomes the solid foundation beneath our new life in Him, not just an event we must admire from a distance.
 
Then Paul pulls our focus a bit wider, bringing clarity to a part of the Gospel that many forget about. The rulers and authorities are publicly disarmed and disgraced. Those who trafficked in fear, rebellion, and death are exposed as utterly defeated. They did their worst to Jesus, yet their violence became the place where their authority was shattered forever. They could wound Him, but they couldn’t turn Him from obedience. They could even kill Him, but they had no power to make death His master.
 
Today, we often fall into the trap of embracing the patterns and weapons of this world. But Jesus didn’t conquer by any of the means at our earthly disposal. He conquered by giving Himself in love, bearing sin, and remaining faithful to the Father all the way to Calvary. The King of Glory proved He could enter the darkest of places, endure the full assault of evil, and yet emerge victorious.
 
Today, as believers in Christ, we mustn’t face sin, shame, or spiritual opposition biting our nails, waiting to see who will win in the end. We stand in full union with Christ. The battle is real, and the wounds of this present age are just as real and painful, but the powers no longer have unquestioned authority.

What looked like the triumph of darkness became the moment Jesus triumphed over it. The King’s victory was hidden beneath suffering, but it was victory all the same.

Satan literally means “the accuser” or “adversary”. What accusations or feelings of shame still speak to you as though they outweigh what Jesus accomplished on the cross? How can you face those voices from your union with His victory?

Father, You are worthy of praise for the Victory of the cross. Thank you for canceling the debt I could never pay and disarming the powers that accuse and enslave. Protect me from a life of shame, fear, and believing evil has won the day. May the triumph of Jesus mold and shape my courage, obedience, and hope. Amen.

“Because Jesus triumphed at the cross, I no longer have to live under __________________.”